State legislation is cracking down on canines. Texas has made it a felony punishable by up to ten years in the slammer for anyone whose dog seriously injures another person while off its leash. States like Virginia and New York have also taken measures and created dangerous dog lists that can be accessed by the public online; others, like Ohio have attempted to ban breeds that are deemed overly aggressive.

This graph shows how many dog-related fatalities occurred between 1979-1998. Purebred Pit-bulls are responsible for 27% of fatalities; Purebred Rottweilers, 16%; and Purebred German Shepards, 7%. (Unknown dog breeds are responsible for about 50% of fatalities or 238 deaths, but have been omitted.)

Although the numbers suggest that these breeds of dogs might be more inclined to injure or kill, Randall Lockwood of the American Veterinary Medical Association advises against making such harsh legislation based on dog-related fatalities because they're relatively rare. Randall goes on to suggest that dog-related fatalities are more a reflection on people wanting to own an aggressive status symbol than the dogs inclination towards violent behavior.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention an estimated 4.7 million dog bites occurred in the United States in 2001; of which about 800,000 required medical care. About 30 percent of victims were under the age of 14.

The most common areas of the body injured are the hands, face, and lower leg. And while there is no opportune time for dog bites, there was a peak in number the of occurrences during the warm month of June.